What's in it for Me?
by Ulfcloak
Summary: A story depicting the growing relationship between Cinder and Mercury as they go about their lives as Remnant's most wanted. All chapters are canonical to each other unless otherwise stated. On Hiatus
1. Scars

Mercury Black hurriedly navigated the dimly lit halls of Salem's castle, his destination the only place he could find solace in the desolate landscape that surrounded him. He was an outsider here, a servant to the lowest link on the food chain. The people Salem had gathered looked down on Cinder, and as a result, on him as well. Perhaps it was because of her youth, or maybe she possessed less experience than the rest of them. Whatever the case, the atmosphere their relations created made him feel most unwelcome among their ranks. Despite what Cinder had told him, this place was not his home, and it likely never would be.

His footsteps echoed throughout the halls of the grand castle, their unchallenged rhythm confirming his solitude. It was unlikely that anyone else would be up and about, as he had left his room deep in the night so as to avoid running into any of his 'superiors'. It would certainly be viewed as suspicious for one with questionable loyalties such as him to be snooping around the premises at such a time, but if he had chosen any other time, Emerald would probably be glued to Cinder's side, and what he wanted to say tonight was not meant for her ears. After making his way through a veritable maze of hallways and passages he had struggled to commit to memory, he arrived at a closed door.

Mercury knocked on the door with two quick raps, careful so as not to irritate the person within. After a short time, the door cracked open, barely revealing a single amber eye. The expression on her face lightened considerably as she realized who stood opposite her. With no delay, the door opened wider, revealing Remnant's new Fall Maiden.

"Yeah, I'd be happy to see me too," Mercury remarked. "I can only imagine what any of those freaks would want with you at this hour."

" _What are you doing here?"_ Cinder's raspy voice was usually inaudible, but there was little in the way of competition in the dead of night, so he could hear her strained whispers just fine.

"I wanted to talk," he answered. "Can I come in?"

" _You can talk from there."_

Mercury sighed. It appeared his meaning had not gotten across. "I mean I want to _talk_ talk."

Cinder narrowed her eyes at her apprentice, suspicious of his motives. A couple seconds passed, and she eventually relented, removing herself from the doorway and allowing him entry.

The young man stepped inside and closed the door behind him, taking a look around Cinder's room as he did so. It was clear she didn't spend much time here, as everything was neatly arranged and looked like it hadn't been touched in months. Though, since they had only arrived just the day before, it was possible she just hadn't yet had time to make a mess of the place.

"I haven't had a chance to hold a decent conversation with you since Beacon. How are you feeling?"

" _That's none of your business,"_

"What? I'm not allowed to worry about you? Wounds like that… they leave scars on more than just the skin. I just want to make sure you're okay." Cinder seemed to be upset by that. Perhaps he had worded it wrong.

" _I don't need your sympathy,"_ she spat. _"Do you really think me so weak as to deserve the pity of a child?_ "

Mercury rolled his eyes. He knew what this was. Cinder would not allow herself to be seen as anything less than invincible in front of her inferiors. He had caught glimpses of this issue during their time together in Vale, but now, in the face of her clear inferiority complex in regards to her colleagues, it was as plain as day.

"Come on, you know that's not fair. Just talk to me."

" _I'm fine. There's nothing to talk about. Leave me."_

Mercury walked to the edge of her bed and sat down, a clear but passive display of his intention to stay. "You say that, but you still haven't changed out of your dress. You weren't going to sleep tonight, were you? You can't."

The Fall Maiden averted her gaze away from the young man, embarrassed that she had been found out so easily.

"You don't have to say anything; I already know most of it. I couldn't sleep either at first."

" _What could you know of this?"_

Mercury shook his head. "Really? I've got my fair share of scars, thank you very much. Don't act like you haven't seen them."

Cinder silently chastised herself for forgetting the circumstances of Mercury's recruitment. Now that she remembered, it all made sense. He had gone through something similar in the past, though his experience lasted years, and likely had far more emotional impact. He understood where she was now, and he wanted to help her get past it. At this point, she felt stupid for not having expected his visit in the first place. _"You've kept them covered… I'd almost forgotten_. _"_

"I'm glad that you were able to. It means that they don't stop me from being who I am. I'm not a reflection of the pain I've experienced, and you shouldn't be either. Cinder Fall is too good for that. Now come on, talk to me."

The young woman slowly walked over to her bed and sat down beside her apprentice, taking a deep breath as she prepared to open up to someone she felt she never should. _"I feel… weak. I'm more powerful than ever before, and yet, I've never suffered a greater defeat. I've been maimed, Mercury. My eye is gone, I can barely speak, and even as a Maiden with nature's wrath at my fingertips, I was powerless to stop it. It's humiliating."_ Talking to Mercury like an equal was strange, but every word seemed to lift a small weight off of her shoulders. Perhaps she should consider confiding in her subordinates more often.

"That makes sense," he said, "but you _know_ you're not that weak. All you have to do is remind yourself of your strength."

Cinder considered Mercury's words. She hadn't been able to pin down the source of her discontent until now, but Mercury had the right of it. At first, she thought the issue was her pride. She thought that it had somehow been damaged, but she had always known that this was not true. She had lost plenty of practice matches against Tyrian and Hazel, but her pride remained intact through it all. Even now, when Mercury offered to lend an ear to her troubles, her pride prevented her from allowing it. She still had her pride; her problem was confidence. She had been the youngest at Salem's table for a long time now, and her colleagues were constantly reminding her. Before, she could weather their jabs because she knew they were wrong. Now, she had lost. She had been knocked down at what was meant to be her peak, and she was starting to believe that she wasn't worth as much as she had previously thought. That had to end, but how? How could she prove to herself that she still deserved to be valued?

" _What do I have to do?"_

Mercury threw himself backward, his body now resting across the foot of Cinder's bed. "It's probably different for everyone, but I can tell you what worked for me. Well… you already know what worked for me."

" _You killed him."_ It was a simple solution, but she could already see that it would be an effective one for her. The mere thought of her flames consuming Ruby's body was invigorating. The only problem was that as the Fall Maiden, she was at a severe disadvantage against a silver eyed warrior. She would have to train harder than she ever had before. The maiden's power needed to be pushed beyond its natural barriers, and there was no one in remnant better suited for the task.

Perhaps that was what drove Mercury forward: a constant desire to improve. Perhaps that was why he pushed himself so hard. From the day she found him standing over his father's corpse, Mercury went to bed stronger than when he had awoken. But he had already slain his demons; why did he persist like this?

" _Mercury, what pushes you forward? You've done so much, and I've never even given a thought toward your motives."_

Mercury scoffed. "For someone smart enough to destroy a huntsman academy, you really are dense."

Cinder glared at the young man, but ultimately remained silent in anticipation of his answer. He stared back at her, trying to read into her thoughts.

"You really have no idea, do you? I'm here for you, Cinder."

" _Me?"_ The maiden did her best not to jump to any conclusions, but it was terribly difficult to do so. His statement was just so vague… the implications were as boundless as her imagination.

"Yeah, you're all I've got. Who knows where I'd have ended up if you hadn't found me."

Cinder had never realized just how much she could potentially mean to Mercury before this point. Regardless of her true intentions with the boy or what kind of road she would lead him down, she had put him back on his feet in his darkest hour. When every constant in his life was cast into the flame, she presented herself as a source of stability. She had, in a sense, given him a second chance at life. It was a cruel life that would leave him with sleepless nights and bloodstained hands, but it was a life he readily embraced if it meant standing by the side of his savior. The fact that he had not even been remotely resistant to being dragged along like this left her with only one question: 'just how much did she mean to him?

Strange feelings welled up in Cinder when she looked at the boy now. Aside from Emerald (who clearly didn't like the boy at all), she was the only person in his life that he could even come close to calling a friend. If tonight's discussion was anything to go by, she far from deserved it. At face value, he had chosen to accompany her and Emerald of his own accord, but upon further inspection, it became clear that there was no choice to be had. She had found him, taken him, and robbed him of the opportunity to live a normal life. Then, she disregarded almost everything that made him who he was and wrote off his concern out of some misguided sense of self-pity.

There was much more to the boy she had found in the woods than a lifetime of angst and enough skill in combat to strike fear in even seasoned warriors. Mercury was not a weapon to be directed at whatever she wished, he was a young man that, for his own sake, had discarded everything he had in a manner that would test even the strongest hearts, and he had bet everything on her. In selecting her to be the orchestrator of Beacon's downfall, Salem had placed great faith in her as an asset, but with Mercury, for the first time, someone had placed their faith in her as a person.

The Fall Maiden's hand strayed from its position, lightly brushing against that of the young man beside her. Mercury's hand was quickly retracted, almost as though he was recoiling away from the mouth of a predator.

"Alright, I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable," Mercury said as he sprung off of Cinder's bed. "Get some sleep; you're going to need it if you're going to be dealing with those lunatics all day." He proceeded to the door, making sure he didn't look back at Cinder for fear of dying of humiliation.

" _Mercury,"_ she called , straining her raspy voice and halting the boy in his tracks, _"thank you."_

"For what? You would have figured this all out on your own; I didn't do anything."

" _For caring."_ Just like him, she had no one she could truly call close. None of those she called her allies understood her, nor could she trust them with intimate thoughts such as these. But now, looking at the back of her apprentice, the scarred back that carried her lifeless body from Beacon… from what should have been her grave, she could see that they were very much the same. Ever since that fateful night, she'd had someone she could always fall back on. She'd had a true friend.

"Right… Goodnight, Cinder."

" _Goodnight."_

* * *

 **A/N: If you got this far, thanks for reading. I really like this ship, and I really don't think it gets the attention it deserves from the fandom. It's unfortunate, but I will be updating this fanfic fairly irregularly, as most of my writing time is going to be devoted to my other fanfiction. This is more of a side-project to sink my time into when I want to write and can't make any progress in my other story. That being said, I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Recollection

Mercury sat still on his bed, his eyes fixated on his legs. He didn't do this often, but he felt it was important to remind himself of what the true state of his body was. As useful as they were, he associated those legs with work, and having to perform generally unpleasant tasks. He felt like a killer when he wore them, and right now, he just wanted to be Mercury.

Coming to terms with his disability was a strange process for him. He hadn't had much time to think about it before the night that changed his life. Since then, he had been… busy. Fighting the Fall Maiden, fighting in the Vytal Festival, reducing Vale to a pile of smoldering ash, all of these had things prevented him from taking the time to really reflect on his situation. By the time he had come to this castle, it was already a fact of life for him. He had no legs, and he used mechanical ones; it was as simple as that. He wasn't afforded the opportunity to sulk and wallow in mourning or self-pity, and even if he did have the chance, it was highly unlikely that he would have. It was hardly the first time he'd felt pain, nor was it the first time he had lost something dear to him. Whatever the case, when he looked at the stubs halfway down his thighs, he felt nothing.

He had conflicting feelings about that. On one hand, he was glad to have bypassed the process that would normally come with losing limbs. It allowed him to keep his head clear and do his job to the best of his ability. There was no doubt that a different Mercury distracted by doubt and depression would not have survived a confrontation with the Fall Maiden. On the other hand, it worried him deeply. Mercury was used to not feeling. All his life, he was trained to not feel, taking lives without the slightest amount of remorse. This… this was different; this was _him_. What kind of person gave up parts of his body without so much as a second thought? Who was left to care for him if he didn't even care for himself?

" _Is this a bad time?_ "

Mercury's head turned toward his open door to see Cinder watching him with a curious gaze. It definitely was a bad time, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "Not at all, come in." The Fall Maiden readily complied and saw herself in.

"Your voice is getting better," Mercury noted. "Where's your lapdog?"

" _She chose not to come_." Cinder replied.

"I thought she followed you everywhere."

" _Not here, it seems._ _What are you doing?_ "

"Just a little something to keep my head clear. Why? Is it weird? I can put them back on if you want."

Cinder waved passively, ensuring the young man that it would not be necessary. " _I need you to tell me something_. _How did I get off of Beacon tower_?"

Mercury sighed at the question. "Can't Emerald tell you? She was there too."

" _She told me to come to you because she wasn't_ _there. That means you acted alone. Now tell me, how did I escape_?"

"You didn't escape," Mercury answered as he swung what remained of his legs to the edge of his bed, " _We_ did."

" _We_?"

" _I_ escaped _,_ technically. _You_ weren't even conscious. Look, do we have to talk about this?"

" _Yes, we do. I want to know everything._ "

Mercury let out an elongated sigh. "Okay. I guess I'll just start where you left us."

(LINE BREAK)

"How much longer should we wait before we go in after her?"

The assassin briefly turned away from his scroll to look at his green-haired partner in crime. Her body was as still as the stars in the night sky, and her eyes remained locked on the entrance to Beacon tower. Her focus was so intense, he wondered if she would even notice if she started to fall over the edge of the rooftop they were standing on. "What do you mean 'we'?" he eventually replied. "If Cinder fails, the Fall Maiden's power is going to _you_. Hell, you should be thankful she even let you watch from so close; if it were up to me you'd already be on your way back to Mistral."

"I know, it's just—I can't stand waiting around here doing nothing. I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to her while I was up here just waiting. I owe her so much more than that."

Mercury rolled his eyes at the thief. "You're worrying too much. Sure, the old man has a little help, but that Arc kid isn't worth his armor, and that Nikos girl wouldn't even be a match for me without that semblance. She's got this."

Emerald shook her head. "I know what you're saying makes sense, but I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen."

"Okay, if it gets you to stop talking, how 'bout we wait for another five or so minutes, and if nothing changes, I give you my scroll to continue the broadcast and head in there myself. Does that sound good to you?"

"You'd do that?" Emerald asked.

"Sure," Mercury answered. "But if the Maiden powers come to you, you have to leave. Otherwise all of this would be pointless."

"Okay, deal. But only five, got it?"

"Sure." Then, only moments after he returned his attention back to his scroll, his partner broke their sacred pact.

"Look!"

"Hey, it hasn't even been ten seconds. What happened to our- "

"Shut up and look! There's someone at the entrance to the tower. I can't see from here, but it looks like JNPR kids."

Mercury quickly focused his scroll's camera on the emerging pair. "Yeah, it's definitely them."

"Can you tell what's happening? Did Cinder lose?"

"There's no way… there's hardly a scratch on either of them," he observed. "They look panicked; they ran."

Before either of them could get another word in, Cinder rose to the top of the tower in a pillar of flame, signaling her victory over Vale's oldest guardian. The two watched on as her ensuing fight with Pyrrha obliterated Ozpin's office at the top of the tower, and reinforcements came in the form of Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose. Despite the evolving situation and numbers stacking higher and higher against Cinder, Mercury and Emerald did not act. Emerald had to keep a safe distance at all costs, and Mercury refused to risk a fight against the Schnee heiress. While he far outmatched her in skill in melee combat, she had a serious advantage in terms of dust usage and availability. It would only take one lucky shot to freeze Mercury in place and potentially end everything for him right there.

Instead, they watched on as the flames atop the tower signaled to them that Cinder was still going strong. With the feats she had displayed so far, it was clear to the duo that she had obtained the remainder of the Fall Maiden's power. It was because of this that they stayed their hands in confidence of their master's victory when Ruby scaled the tower with the help of Weiss's glyphs. It took only one instant to prove that their complacence had been a mistake. Upon Ruby's arrival to the battle, a brilliant flash of silver light flared, sending waves of unease flowing down their spines.

"Wait, she doesn't… does she?" Emerald asked.

Mercury took a second to recall the young girl's face. "Dammit, she _does_. Take this." he said, passing his scroll to his partner. "I'm going. You need to get out of here, _now_."

"Mercury," Emerald called as the assassin leapt off of the roof, "make sure she makes it back."

The silver-haired assassin sprinted toward the entrance to the tower, pushing his body and prosthetic limbs to their limits. Cinder had told him about people bearing silver eyes, and the immense power that they possess. As far as he knew, Cinder should have been able to defeat a silver eyed warrior even without her maiden powers, especially if they were only in their first year of a major huntsman academy. She shouldn't fall here, but the presence of a silver eyed warrior was not something they had prepared for, and Mercury wasn't nearly dumb enough to leave this up to chance.

After a few short moments of running, Mercury came upon a terribly damaged elevator shaft, courtesy of Pyrrha Nikos. Scaling it would be difficult, but with his legs, it was possible. Without a second's hesitation, he jumped into the elevator shaft, firing off a round as he kicked off of the wall opposite him, continuing this pattern as he ascended. The scene that awaited him was his worst case scenario. Cinder lie motionless and unconscious, more bloody than not. Ruby was exhausted, and sprawled out on the floor. He could kill her, but Cinder's aura must have been completely depleted for her to have suffered such grievous wounds, and with no aura, she wouldn't heal. If he did take the time to finish her off, Cinder could die depending on the severity of her wounds. His choice was clear.

Ignoring the collapsed student, Mercury carefully hoisted Cinder's limp body onto his back and leapt off of the tower, firing his boots at maximum power to break his fall as he neared the ground. The sudden force caused by the inertia of his deceleration could cause permanent damage to Cinder depending on her injuries, but he was more than willing to risk such things if it meant she survived. The assassin took a moment to gather himself as he landed with a less than comfortable impact. Mercury sprinted away from the spire with unparalleled haste, racking his brain for a place he could take Cinder as he ran. He wouldn't lose her like this. He _couldn't_.

(LINE BREAK)

" _You carried me?"_

"I did."

" _I suppose I should thank you, then."_

"Don't. It's my fault you're in the state you're in. If I had just been a little bit faster, you wouldn't need to wear that mask or speak through other people."

Cinder broke eye contact with her student as she considered his feelings. After moment that seemed like an eternity, she placed her hand on her mask and slowly removed it from her face, revealing a wholly white eye and the remainder of the scar that marred her.

" _Do you see this_?" the Fall Maiden asked. " _This is my fault, not yours. I will never be the way I once was, that much is true. But I wouldn't even be here to regret that loss if it weren't for your efforts. I owe you my life, and as such, I will hear no more of this. You performed your duty to the fullest extent of your abilities, and anyone who disagrees is a fool. Are you a fool, Mercury Black?_ "

It came as a shock to Mercury that she didn't blame him for her state even in the slightest. He had gone all of this time hoping to avoid this topic so that Cinder wouldn't realize that his failure had led to her current state. Now, everything had changed. If she found no fault in his actions that night, how could he?

"I—no, I'm not."

" _Good. I have no use for fools._ _Tell me, did any of Ozpin's circle interfere? Did they try to stop you?"_

"No. I managed leave the area before anyone important came to help the old man. I guess I should be grateful."

" _And what would you have done if they had?_ "

"For you? My best, though it'd probably get me killed."

" _You wouldn't have run_?" Cinder asked incredulously. The laugh Mercury let out as he heard her question made her wonder if she had crossed a line somewhere.

"Run where?" he asked. "You're all I've got, remember?"

Cinder fell silent, her remaining good eye lingering on her apprentice. Her mind drifted to how this all began, how her fate and his became intertwined. She had been alone for so long, and because of him, she wasn't. " _You know, you're the first person I've ever known that would die for me._ "

"Emerald would, I think," Mercury answered.

" _She would try, but the girl lacks the conviction._ _But you… you made up your mind the moment you left that rooftop, and I'm still here because of it."_ The Fall Maiden moved her face just a bit closer to her apprentice's. " _I can't believe how lucky I am to have you._ "

Mercury was unsure of how to react. The guise of a seductress was a common card for her to play, but never with him. She wasn't some moron that would be swayed by a pair of batting eyelashes. With him, she was just Cinder. If she wanted something, she made it known. There was no act, no façade to guise her intentions. Even so, he sat paralyzed by her aggression. Here she was… no act, no façade… and apparently, no reservations.

"And to think you wanted my dad…"

Cinder smiled and answered, her voice as smooth and sultry as she could manage. "Well, that's what you're here for, isn't it? To help me fix my mistakes?" Cinder planted her lips against his in a soft, chaste kiss.

"You know, _I_ might be a mistake."

" _A mistake worth making._ " Despite her enthusiastic tone, the Fall Maiden pulled away from her companion, taking a deep breath in an attempt to regain her composure. " _But no mistakes… not today_. _I'll be needing my energy for my training tomorrow. If I stay… well, I'm sure you understand."_

Mercury watched her feminine form closely as she made her way to his door, his eyes careful to commit her curves to memory.

" _It was a bad time, wasn't it_?" she asked, not turning back to face him.

"Only until you showed up."

Cinder shook her head, a near undetectable smile pulling at her lips. How did she ever end up finding a man like him?


End file.
